Legal Experts: Israeli Shooting of Aid Seekers Tantamount to Genocide

(MENAFN) Israeli forces’ intentional shooting and killing of unarmed Palestinian civilians waiting for humanitarian aid at Gaza’s food distribution points is tantamount to genocide, according to legal experts who spoke to media.

The statement follows a shocking report from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which revealed that Israeli commanders had ordered troops to deliberately target Palestinians seeking aid.
Experts argue that this move marks a troubling escalation of Israel’s ongoing campaign of violence against Palestinians that has persisted for years.

Martin Shaw, a British sociologist and scholar, emphasized that Israel’s use of heavy artillery against Palestinian civilians over the past 20 months has shattered the basic fabric of life in Gaza. This destructive approach has left the population increasingly reliant on humanitarian assistance.

"They (Israel) block the aid, so that people starve. Then they block genuine humanitarian organizations from working in Gaza, making people dependent on a new US body which provides inadequate food,” Shaw said.

“Then they shoot and kill the starving as they try to get aid. It is difficult to imagine a clearer pattern of genocide.”

Shaw also accused Israel of using "humanitarian camouflage," echoing the remarks of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian Territories. He pointed out that there is no sign of serious investigations by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) into allegations of war crimes.

"There is no evidence that the IDF seriously investigates war crimes by its soldiers," Shaw asserted. "War crimes are part of Israel’s genocidal strategy to destroy the Palestinian people of Gaza, and any investigations are purely token."

'Some of the most blatant war crimes in decades'

Regarding the shootings of Palestinians awaiting aid, Luigi Daniele, an associate professor at Italy's University of Molise, stated: "These are in my opinion, some of the most blatant war crimes we have seen in entire decades of armed conflicts. These are clearly direct attacks on civilians, as such intentional."

He went on to stress that Israel’s leadership will face legal consequences. "Not only in The Hague should they be prosecuted, but also if these soldiers, these commanders travel elsewhere in the world, they should actually risk prosecution."

Daniele expressed confidence that Israel will lose its case for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). "My impression here is that the Israeli executive, and sadly, (most) sectors of its society, are so wrapped up in these exterminatory ideology dehumanizing Palestinians that they don't even realize how the rest of the world is horrified at watching what they are doing," he said.

MENAFN01072025000045017169ID1109744853